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DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
FELLOWSHIP BIBLE CHURCH

1. We believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the verbally inspired Word of God.  Inspiration is God’s superintending of human authors so that, using their own individual personalities, they composed and recorded without error His revelation to man in the original autographs.  All Scripture is authoritative and without error in any category of knowledge, including science and history, and is of supreme and final authority in all matters about which it speaks.  We believe the Scriptures are to be interpreted in a literal and normal way.  This means to consider history, grammar, context, and harmony with other Scriptures as guidelines for interpretation.  We believe the Holy Spirit guides the believer to understand the Bible.
   (John 10:35; Matthew 5:18; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21)

    

2. We believe in one God eternally existing in three equal Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
   (Deuteronomy 6:4; Hebrews 1:8; Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3,4)

    

3. We believe that God the Son became Flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ Who was begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, and Who is true God and true man.
   (John 1:14; Matthew 1:18-25, 26:38;  Hebrews 2:14; Isaiah 7:14)

4. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person, possessing all the distinctively divine attributes.  He is God. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.  He regenerates, seals, and sets apart the believer to a holy life.  At regeneration, He baptizes the believer into the Body of Christ and comes to indwell him permanently.
   (John 3:5-7, 14:16-17, 16:8; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:13)

5. We believe that man was created in the image of God and that he sinned and consequently experienced not only physical death, but also spiritual death (which is separation from God). This sin affects the entire race. All human beings are born with a sinful nature and become sinners in thought, word and deed.
   (Genesis 1:26,27, 2:17, 3:6; Romans 5:12-19)

6. We believe that Jesus died for our sins as a substitutionary sacrifice and that all who repent of their sins and trust in Him for the payment of their sin debt on the basis of His shed blood are declared righteous before God.  Repentance means ‘to change one’s mind'.
   (2 Corinthians 5:14; Mark 10:45; Romans 3:24-26, 5:8,9; 1 Peter 3:18;  Acts 3:19; Ezekiel 18:30)

7. We believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ, in His ascension into heaven, and in His present life there for us.  Jesus Christ now serves as high priest, intercessor and advocate in our behalf with the Father.
   (Romans 1:4;  John 20:25-27;  1 John 2:1; Hebrews 7:25)

8. We believe that whoever by faith trusts Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord becomes a child of God.  This salvation is not the result of any human effort or merit.  This does not mean that Christ’s lordship must be evident in one’s life before salvation is possible.  Rather, that the seeker acknowledges his Savior as Lord of the universe and of his life.  The issue is the identity of the Savior.
   (John 1:12;  Ephesians 2:8,9;  Romans 3:28)

9. We believe that all believers still possess a sinful nature, but that God has made full provision for believers to overcome this sinful nature and to live for God through a knowledge of the Scriptures, identification with Christ, and by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. God has promised that all Christians will be sanctified; that is, He will complete His work within them. The presence of the Holy Spirit is manifested by the fruits of the Spirit.
   (Romans 6:1-11,8:11-13; Ephesians 2:10, 5:18; Philippians 1:6)

    

10. We believe that all Christians are to give attention to becoming spiritually mature in order to bring glory to God and to function well in the Body of Christ.  The emphasis of Scripture is on the qualities of maturity for the individual and on the development of faith, hope and love for the corporate assembly.
    (1 Corinthians 12-14; Colossians 1:3-5;  1 Timothy 3:1-12)

     

11. We believe that all believers are kept eternally secure by the power of the Holy Spirit, and the intercession of Jesus Christ.  This security in Christ is manifested by the divinely imparted ability to persevere in faith.  Although it is possible for a Christian to sin, even to ‘backslide,’ anyone born of the Spirit of God will demonstrate new life.
    (John 10:28-30, 14:16,17;  Romans 8:38,39; Ephesians 4:30;  1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 2:1)

     

12. We believe that God gives spiritual, enabling gifts for service to all believers.  We believe that spiritual gifts are designed by God to bring each member of the Church to maturity and the entire Church to unity.  Abuse of spiritual gifts is a reflection of immaturity and will generally result in division in the local assembly.
    (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Ephesians 4:11-16)

     

13. We believe that the Church is composed of all believers from the day of Pentecost until the time when God declares that it is complete.   The Church in its invisible form is universal, the true Body of Christ, not limited by organizational affiliation. The Church is visible in the local assembly of saints committed to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, communion and prayer.  Individual believers are encouraged to commit themselves to be accountable to and to be held accountable for their commitment to this assembly of saints.  Decisions of each assembly are to be made following the pattern of Acts 14 and 15:  elders accountable to the members of the assembly challenge the assembly to respond to Christ in specific ways; the members then deny or affirm the leadership of the Spirit in each matter.  We believe that Christ ordained the observance of water baptism and the Lord’s Supper until He returns.
    (Matthew 28:19;  Acts 1:5, 11:15,16; Ephesians 4:4-6; Colossians 1:18; Acts 2:42)

     

14. We believe in the reality and personality of Satan.  When given the opportunity, he attempts to defeat Christian work. Christians can overcome Satan’s schemes by applying Scriptural truth.
    (Luke 10:18; John 8:44;  Ephesians 6:10-19)

     

15. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men.  Believers are to be resurrected to enjoy eternal life with God and unbelievers to experience judgment and then eternal suffering apart from God. 
    (John 5:28,29; 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 20:4-6, 21:1-8)

     

16. We believe that this age will end with the glorious return of Christ for His church, which is our blessed hope; and that Christ Himself will one day personally, physically and visibly return in the glory of His Father to set up in the earth a kingdom in which He shall reign in righteousness and peace.
    (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18; Isaiah 9:6,7, 11:2-5; Matthew 24:30; Acts 1:11;  Revelation 20:4-6)